Lady
by Lily1986
Summary: Dedicated to RPK. And inspired by Kenny Rogers "Lady". Spoilers "Doomsday".


A.N: I seem to have lost my muse. It was so far from me, we were practically on different continents. So RPK (over on DI) asked me to write a song after Kenny Rogers "Lady". So that was the inspiration for this. But its definitely dedicated to RPK. =]

Lady

Clark sat in the dark corner of his Fortress of Solitude with his head in his hands. No matter how far away he got from civilization, he couldn't get away from the voices. He couldn't leave her voice behind. It hurt his heart every time his mind would push forth one of his final memories with the woman who'd stolen his heart and taken him prisoner.

He sighed lying back on the cold ice. He didn't deserve any warmth right now. It was his entire fault. Everything that happened three months ago was entirely his fault. Every bad decision he'd made led him to that one night. The night everything was taken from him.

Jimmy was dead too, because of him.

If he hadn't sent Jimmy to keep Chloe and Davis safe, that young photographer would still be alive. But all that night proved was that Clark was right. Everyone who knew his secret died.

Well, what about Lois. She didn't know his secret. And she's gone too.

He sat up roughly. He'd heard something. Something he hadn't heard in three months of solitude, loneliness, and of guilt.

He stood up from the ice and super sped out of the fortress. He stopped outside of the Daily Planet and looked up. It was the middle of the night and the city was practically asleep. There shouldn't have been anyone out and about. But he didn't need his super vision to tell him someone was on the roof of the Daily Planet. He bent his knees and shot up through the air, landing on the roof behind a dark shadow.

He tentatively walked forward. The heart beat was so familiar, and yet the silhouette was foreign to him.

"Lois", he whispered softly, his voice hoarse with emotion.

She turned around quickly.

"Clark", she smiled broadly and ran into his waiting arms.

He pulled her tighter against him, taking in her scent. She smelled like Lois. She sounded like Lois. She felt like Lois. But it couldn't be because Lois Lane was pronounced dead a week after her disappearance.

But as far as Clark knew they'd never found a body.

"Lois", he said pulling back from her to look into her eyes, "Is it you?"

"Yeah, Smallville", she said smiling, "Who else would it be?"

"Lois, you've been missing", he started, "For three months…"

"I know", she said softly.

"Where did you go", he asked.

She stepped out of his grasp and walked toward the edge, leaning against it and staring at the Metropolis skyline.

"I don't know", she said softly.

"You don't know", he asked.

She turned and smiled shrugging.

"I know it sounds weird", she said, "But all I remember is getting into a huge argument with Tess Mercer and getting drop kicked to the floor and then… it's all blank."

He walked up to her and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Have I really been gone three months?"

He nodded slowly and she bit her lip.

"I saw the paper downstairs", she said sadly, "I didn't believe it. But you don't grow out your hair in a day…"

He ran his hand down his long hair slowly.

"I like it", she smiled, "But I prefer the short hair."

He smiled dropping his hand.

"What happened in the three months I was gone", she asked.

_I realized how much I loved you_, he thought to himself.

"A lot", he answered instead and she nodded for him to continue, "Jimmy died that night you disappeared. We all thought you were dead too and I searched-"

"Wait, what", she asked, "Jimmy's dead?"

"I'm sorry", he lowered his gaze.

"How", she asked.

"Davis Bloom", he said softly.

Lois folded her arms in front of her. "Damn it."

"Lois", he said reaching for her and she pulled away.

"Don't", she said, "Not right now… please."

He nodded. He knew how she felt.

"I'm here for you, whenever you need me", he said.

"I know you are", she said nodding, "And Chloe… is she….?"

"She's fine as far as I know", he said shaking his head.

"As far as you know", she asked.

"We haven't exactly talked in three months…"

"Wow", she said, "I never thought that would happen…"

"What would", he asked.

"You and Chloe having a rift big enough to actually end your friendship…"

"First time for everything", he shrugged.

"I don't buy that", she said.

He looked into her eyes.

"Clark, go to her", Lois said sadly, "It's the only way to save me…"

"Save you", he asked, "Lois you are safe. I'm right here."

"But I'm not", she said sadly, "This isn't real, Clark. You've got to be able to tell."

"Lois", he said slowly, "What are you-"

He watched her fading in front of him. Her form was fading from solid to transparent. But she never stopped smiling proudly.

"I'm so proud of you", she continued, "I always have been. You are going to touch the lives of so many people… You're going to be the greatest hero the world has ever known."

"I don't care about that", he said angrily, "I only want to be your hero. I only want to save you."

"You will", she said smiling; "I know you will. I believe you will."

"How", he asked feeling tears in his eyes, "I can't even find you…"

"You will", she smiled.

"How can you possibly know that for sure", he asked, "How do I find you?"

"You won't find the answers in the frozen tundra this time… Go to Chloe. She can help."

He nodded.

"Okay, but just don't leave", he said stepping forward, "Not yet…"

"I have to", she said with teary eyes, "I love you, Clark. I always have."

"No", he said choking on his tears, "Don't. Leave. Me."

"I never left you", she said before she disappeared.

"Lois", he said circling the rooftop, "No…"

He dropped to his knees in sadness.

Clark sat up from the floor of the Fortress. He looked around him. It was all a dream; a dream that was now echoing in his head.

_Go to Chloe._

_Save me._

_I love you, Clark._

_I never left you._

Was it all the things he'd wanted so long to hear her say? Or were they things she actually meant. How much of that dream was real? Was he seeing Lois' ghost in his dreams now? Would she be haunting him the rest of his life?

He stood up and super sped to Chloe's apartment in the city, her new Watchtower and looked around. It was the middle of the night. She was probably sleeping.

"Chloe", he yelled into the dark empty room.

"Clark?"

He looked up and found her on the balcony with wide eyes. He watched her smile brightly.

"Clark", she repeated and ran down the stairs into his arms, much like she'd done three months before.

"What are you doing here", she asked.

"I had a dream", he said slowly, "About Lois…"

"A dream?"

"Yeah… she was at the Daily Planet", he said softly.

"What does it mean?"

"I don't know", he said, "She said Tess Mercer was the last person to see her alive. We should ask her."

"Clark, it's three am. Tess Mercer is probably asleep", Chloe said, "Let's wait until tomorrow…"

"No", he said, "Lois is alive. She wants me to save her."

"Clark, it was just a dream", Chloe said slowly, "I promise to help you try and figure this out with Mercer but, you have to accept the fact that Lois might not be alive."

"She's alive, Chloe, I know she is."

"How", she asked, "How can you know? Clark, I know how you feel right now… I lost Jimmy too-"

"I know she's alive", he said, "I heard her heart beating. It was faint but it was there."

"Okay", Chloe bit her lip nodding, "Okay. Let's go Super Blur Express."

Clark smiled and lifted her up into his arms.

"By the way", she smirked, "Nice hair…"

He responded by rolling his eyes and super speeding out of the apartment. He stopped in front of the Luthor mansion and put her down.

"I'd forgotten what that felt like", she said dusting herself off.

He smiled sadly.

"Let's go find my cousin", she smiled.

"Chloe", he called after her, "Thank you."

She nodded. "Love does eventually conquer all, Clark. It just has to be true."

He smiled and followed her inside the mansion quietly. They walked through the hallways until they reached the library and Chloe walked straight toward the computer.

"If Mercer knows anything, it'd be here right", she asked sitting down.

"Or in her dungeon", he mumbled sarcastically causing Chloe to smirk.

He x-rayed the room and paused when he saw something familiar. He walked toward Lex's old safe and pulled it open. He picked up the small black box and held it up to his face, closing his eyes.

"I know where she is", he said slowly causing Chloe to look up from the computer.

He walked up to her and showed her the box.

"She's inside that box", Chloe asked slowly with her eyebrows knit in confusion.

"No", he shook his head, "The Legion ring was inside this box. And now it's not. Let's get out of here."

"Woah, wait a second", she jumped from her seating position and walked up to him, "I thought you destroyed that ring."

"This was another ring", he said, "Rokk gave it to me. The night everything happened, he came to me at the Daily Planet rooftop and I put this box with the ring in my desk."

"You think, Lois", Chloe asked, "Put it on?"

"Yeah, and that means she's in the year 3009."

"Wow, lucky Lois", Chloe said.

Clark rolled his eyes.

"Sorry", Chloe said, "It's just kind of cool."

"Let's go", he said picking her up and super speeding them back to her apartment.

"So now what", Chloe asked, "If she is in the year 3009, how do we get her back."

"We are not going to do anything", he said, "I am."

"What exactly are you going to do?"

"I'm going to go to Jor-El", he said, "See if he can… give me another do-over."

"I thought the one you used when you saved Lana was the last one…"

"Maybe it's not", he said walking toward the stairs.

"Clark", she called out, "If I don't see you again…"

"I know", he nodded and smiled, "I'm sorry too."

She nodded smiling. "You're my best friend. I'm so sorry for everything."

He smiled and turned back to the stairs.

"If Jor-El does grant you this do-over", she asked, "How far back are you going to go?"

"To the day he gave me the ring", he said, "I'm going to stop him from giving it to me."

"Why did he give it to you in the first place?"

"Because he knew", Clark sighed, "What Doomsday would do…"

She lowered her gaze.

"Clark, promise me", she said, "That you'll go back and save Jimmy. Even if it means sacrificing my life…"

"Chloe-"

"Promise me, Clark", she said, "Save Jimmy, please…."

He smiled sadly.

"I promise", he nodded and super sped away from the Planet.

"Good luck", she whispered behind him.

~*~

He walked into the center of the Fortress.

"Jor-El!"

"My son…"

"Please", Clark pleaded, "Send me back… I need to save them…."

"You've already used that crystal my son", Jor-El said, "I cannot help you."

"There has to be a way", he said with tears in his eyes and emotion in his voice, "There has to be a way to send me back…"

"While I cannot use any Kryptonian knowledge to help you", Jor-El said, "There is one crystal that has knowledge from another galaxy. A scientific planet, much like ours, that thrived on their findings of time travel."

"How does it work?"

"Much like the crystal did", Jor-El said, "Much like a Legion ring did. You need to focus on a specific time while holding the crystal. It is the key. But Kal-El, it is the only one we have. Your final chance to alter time and I don't need to remind you that the universe will find its balance, my son."

"Lois isn't dead", he said.

"And your other friend, the one you wish to save."

"I've got to do this, Father, he was an innocent bystander. It was my fault."

"Very well", Jor-El said, "The crystal that now shines is the one that you will need to hold. But be wise in your decision about what moment you choose to go to. For this is your final chance."

"Thank you, Father", Clark said reaching out and touching the crystal sending a blinding light through the Fortress. He disappeared with the light.

"Good luck, my son."

~*~

He was sitting at his desk at the Daily Planet and looked at his screen. The letter he'd written three months ago, that had never been published, was sitting on his desktop.

"Chloe's missing, with some Beastie boy and you're doing what exactly?"

He looked up at the voice with wide eyes and stood up. He walked up to her and pulled into a tight embrace.

"Oh my God", he breathed her in.

She knitted her eyebrows together from over his shoulder.

"Clark", she said half hugging him back, "You okay?"

He pulled back and grinned.

"Now I am", he smiled hugging her again.

"Okay", she said holding on to his arms.

"What are you doing", she said looking over his shoulder at his computer.

"Nothing", he said, "I missed you…"

"You saw me earlier today", she said smiling.

"I feel like I haven't seen you in months", he said.

"You sure you're doing okay", she asked walking around him toward the coffee behind his desk.

He walked up to his computer closing his file quickly and looked at her.

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine."

"Okay, Weirdy Mcweirderson."

He smirked and the smile fell from his face.

"I've got to get you out of here."

"What", she asked.

"We need to go", he said quickly pulling her by the arm.

"Clark", she said being dragged by him through the bull pen, "What the heck is going on with you…"

"Nothing", he said, "We need to find Jimmy and get you two to the farm."

"Why", she asked.

"Because it's not safe here", he said quickly.

"What the hell is going on", she asked pulling her arm from his grasp.

"Lois, do you trust me", he asked her seriously.

"You know I do", she said, "Of course…"

"Then you need to get Jimmy and take him to the farm. Now…."

"Clark is everything okay", she asked.

"Just trust me", he said, "Please."

"Okay", she said nodding, "Okay, I'll get him. He's working for Oliver now… I'll call him."

"Thank you", he said and walked back to his desk. He opened the drawer and picked up the black box retrieving the ring.

He walked toward the stairs to leave.

"Will you be there", she asked his retreating back.

He stopped and turned back around. He walked up to her and cupped her face in his hands pulling her in for a deep kiss. He tasted her lips fully, eliciting a soft moan from her. She finally recuperated and wrapped her around his neck. He let his hands slide down to her waist and pulled her flush against his body. He bit her lower lip and she sucked on his up one. He traced his tongue across her lips and angled his face to deepen the kiss. When he pulled away he saw her eyes were still closed and super sped away.

Lois opened her eyes slowly and looked around the bull pen to see she was alone again.

She touched her lips and felt them still tingling.

She smiled softly.

"Yeah, you better be there."

**The End.**


End file.
